Educational Support from the Perspective of the Students

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-73782025000200099

Keywords:

Inclusive education, Educational support, School exclusion, Student participation, Student voice

Abstract

This study aims to understand students' perceptions of the educational support they receive. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with thirteen students with Special Educational Needs from different primary and secondary schools. The results indicate, on the one hand, that students do not experience the same sense of belonging in their reference classroom, feeling disconnected from the dynamics developed, and in some cases, receiving derogatory comments from their peers. On the other hand, although they say they feel relieved when they leave the support classroom, they perceive differences in conditions and learning compared to their classmates in their regular classroom, which limits their participation in everyday classroom life. In short, in order to move towards fairer and more inclusive schools, it is essential to review practices which, despite having great potential for personalising teaching, can become segregating dynamics. Furthermore, it is essential to create spaces for consultation with the students themselves, so that the reference classroom is a space where support measures can be implemented.

Author Biographies

Marta Sandoval, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Professor at the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Coordinator of the consolidated research group on ‘Educational inclusion, diversity and teacher training’. She has participated in eight European projects on teacher training in inclusion to date. She has led several international projects focusing on the study of educational support, universal design for learning and indicators in inclusive policies, cultures and practices. She is currently leading the R&D&I research project (2023-2026) ‘Shared Teaching for Inclusion: Cultures, Policies and Practices for Educational Transformation’ (Ref. PID2022-137000OB-I0).

Irene Moreno-Medina, Universidad de Málaga

Assistant Professor in the Area of Research Methods and Diagnosis in Education in the Department of Theory and History of Education, Social Pedagogy and Research Methods and Diagnosis in Education at the University of Malaga. Doctor of Education from the Autonomous University of Madrid. Social Educator and Educational Psychologist from the University of Malaga. Her research focuses on vulnerable educational centres, educational inclusion and teaching innovation. She is editor of the International Journal of Education for Social Justice and the Ibero-American Journal of Educational Evaluation.

María Medina-Gutiérrez, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Research assistant at the Autonomous University of Madrid, in the Department of Evolutionary and Educational Psychology of the Faculty of Psychology. She holds a degree in Psychology from the same university, with training in the Master's Degree in Educational Psychology and the Master's Degree in Teacher Training. She has received second prize in the 13th Isidoro Delclaux Psychology Research Award 2024. Her lines of research are linked to the design and evaluation of the effectiveness of different interventions in the development of argumentative synthesis, and to the development of inclusive practices in educational centres.

References

Abellán, J., Alcaraz, S. y Arnaiz-Sánchez, P. (2022). La organización del apoyo educativo para una escuela inclusiva desde la perspectiva del profesorado especialista. Siglo Cero, 53(4), 31-51. https://doi.org/10.14201/scero20225343151

Ainscow, M. (2024). Developing inclusive schools: pathways to success. Taylor & Francis.

Biklen, D. (1985). Mainstreaming: From compliance to quality. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 18(1), 58-61. https://doi.org/10.1177/002221948501800114

Cameron, D. L. (2014). An examination of teacher-student interactions in inclusive classrooms: Teacher interviews and classroom observations. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 14(3), 816-827. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12021

De Boer, A. y Kuijper, S. (2021). Students’ voices about the extra educational support they receive in regular education. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 36(4), 625-641. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2020.1790884

Echeita, G. y Calderón, I. (2014). Obstáculos a la inclusión: Cuestionando concepciones y prácticas sobre la evaluación psicopedagógica. Àmbits de Psicopedagogia i Orientació, 41.

European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education. (2013). Special needs education country data 2012. European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education.

Fielding, M. (2004). Transformative approaches to student voice: Theoretical underpinnings, recalcitrant realities. British Educational Research Journal, 30(2), 295-311. https://doi.org/10.1080/0141192042000195236

Goodenow, C. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates. Psychology in the Schools, 30(1), 79-90. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6807(199301)30:1<79::AID-PITS2310300113>3.0.CO;2-X

Jardí. A. y Puigdellívol, I. (2024). Medidas de apoyo educativo para la inclusión en la teoría y en la práctica. ¿Son siempre inclusivas? Revista Latinoamericana de Educación Inclusiva, 18(1), 23-42. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-73782024000100023

Kefallinou, A. y Howes, A. (2024). Experiencing ‘inclusion’: A critical and systemic analysis of young people’s voices in English and Greek mainstream secondary schools. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 28(12), 2797-2814. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2022.2132424

Lansey, K. R., Burnette, K. K. y Ryndak, D. L. (2023). Disrupting the system: How social systems perpetuate educational segregation of students with extensive support needs. International Journal of Special Education, 38(1), 58-68. https://doi.org/0.52291/ijse.2023.38.6

McLeskey, J. y Waldron, N. L. (2010). Comprehensive school reform and inclusive schools. Theory into Practice, 49(2), 109-115. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4503_9

Mortier, K., Van Hove, G. y De Schauwer, E. (2010). Supports for children with disabilities in regular education classrooms: An account of different perspectives in Flanders. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(6), 543-561. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603110802504929

Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO). (1994). Declaración de Salamanca y Marco de Acción para las Necesidades Educativas Especiales: Conferencia Mundial sobre Necesidades Educativas Especiales: Acceso y Calidad. UNESCO.

Poikola, M., Kärnä, E. y Hakalehto, S. (2024). Students' views of inclusive education: A scoping literature review. European Journal of Education, 59, e12731. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12731

Rasmitadila, R. y Goldstein, B. (2017). The role of special assistant teacher to help special needs student through instructional interactions in an inclusive classroom. International Journal of Special Education, 32(3), 485-506.

Rodríguez Gudiño, M., Jenaro Río, C. y Castaño Calle, R. (2022). La provisión de apoyos fuera del aula como medida de atención a la diversidad y sus efectos en la inclusión educativa. Siglo Cero, 53(3), 75-94. https://doi.org/10.14201/scero2022537594

Rose, R. y O' Neill, Á. (2009). Classroom support for inclusion in England and Ireland: An evaluation of contrasting models. Research in Comparative and International Education, 4(3), 250-261. https://doi.org/10.2304/rcie.2009.4.3.250

Sandoval, M. (2021, 18 de octubre). “They Would Be Better Off At Another School”: Reflections on the future of inclusive education in Spain. Equity Alliance. https://equityalliance.stanford.edu/content/they-would-be-better-another-school-reflections-future-inclusive-education-spain

Sandoval, M., Simón, C. y Echeita, G. (2018). A critical review of education support practices in Spain. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 34(4), 441-454. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2018.1533094

Sandoval, M. y Waitoller, F. R. (2025). Students as agents of school change for inclusive education: International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 38(3), 331-337. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2025.2455981

Seidman, I. (2006). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. Teachers College Press.

Shogren, K. A., McCart, A. B., Lyon, K. J. y Sailor, W. S. (2015). All means all: Building knowledge for inclusive schoolwide transformation. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 40(3), 173-191. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540796915586191

Slee, R. (2011). The irregular school: Exclusion, schooling and inclusive education. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203831564

Soldevila, J., Calderón, I. y Echeita, G. (2024). Mi vida (escolar) es prescindible: radicalizar un discurso contra las miserias del sistema escolar. En J. Collet, M. Naranjo y J. Soldevila (Eds.), Educación inclusiva global (pp. 41-62). Octaedro. http://doi.org/10.36006/09627-1

Takala, M. (2007). The working conditions of special education teachers in Finland. British Journal of Special Education, 34(3), 143-150. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8578.2007.00453.x

Tefera, A. A., Artiles, A. J., Kramarczuk Voulgarides, C., Aylward, A. y Alvarado, S. (2023). The aftermath of disproportionality citations: Situating disability-race intersections in historical, spatial, and sociocultural contexts. American Educational Research Journal, 60(2), 367-404. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312221147007

Ware, J., Butler, C., Robertson, C., O’Donnell, M. y Gould, M. (2011). Access to the curriculum for pupils with a variety of special educational needs in mainstream classes. An exploration of the experiences of young pupils in primary school. National Council for Special Education.

Warnock, M. (2008). Special educational needs: A new look. En C. A. Bagley y G. K. Verma (Eds.), Challenges for inclusion (pp. 34-65). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789087903039_004

Webster, R. y Blatchford, P. (2013). The educational experiences of pupils with a statement for special educational needs in mainstream primary schools: Results from a systematic observation study. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 28(4), 463-479.

Webster, R., Russell, A. y Blatchford, P. (2015). Maximising the impact of teaching assistants: Guidance for school leaders and teachers. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315695167

Published

2025-12-30

How to Cite

Sandoval, M., Moreno-Medina, I., & Medina-Gutiérrez, M. (2025). Educational Support from the Perspective of the Students . Revista Latinoamericana De Educación Inclusiva, 19(2), 99–113. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-73782025000200099